Vivien Leigh - An Actress Whose Life Was Affected by Bipolar Disorder

Vivien Leigh was born Vivien Mary Hartley insuccess and this little unknown actress ended up
Darjeeling, India. At a very early age, she showed anwinning the Best Actress Award in 1939.
aptitude for acting but she could only indulge into it atIn 1940, Olivier and Leigh got married finally. Then
the age of 18 when she enrolled in the RoyalWorld War II happened and Vivien worked mostly on
Academy of Dramatic Art in London.plays staged in and around London. During this period
At the age of 19, she married Leigh Holman, whoshe became an insomniac and her stepson Tarquin
was a barrister and it was his name that she used toOlivier had to stay up the nights with her.
make up her stage name. A year after the marriage,In 1994, during the shooting of Caesar and Cleopatra,
Vivien was still studying and she had a daughterVivien realized that she was pregnant but
named Suzanne.unfortunately she miscarried after having a fall on the
Then in mid-1930s, Vivien happen to meet Laurenceset of the film. Her stepson attributes her manic
Olivier and thus began one of the most passionatedepression to the loss of the baby. In 1945, Leigh
affairs of that time. Olivier was married during thiswas also diagnosed with tuberculosis, which did not
period to Jill Osmond but it did not stop Vivien andhelp the situation.
Olivier from publicizing their affair.During this period, manic depression was not
During this period, both lovers acted frequentlyunderstood and as result Leigh received shock
together on stage and screen and by this time theytherapy for her disorder. Her mental condition coupled
had left their spouses to be together. Then Olivierwith physical illness started playing havoc in her
signed up for Wuthering Heights and Leigh requestedpersonal life and this affected her marriage; leading to
to be cast as Cathy in the film. However, hera divorce in 1960. In addition, she has also started
demand was rejected because she was notdrinking heavily.
well-known in America.Although Leigh had bipolar disorder and tuberculosis,
Leigh ended up getting her most famous role --she continued acting and won her second Oscar for
Scarlett O'Hara -- in the film Gone With The Windher role in the film A Streetcar Named Desire.
and the film was released the same year asIn 1967, Leigh died due to tuberculosis.
Wuthering Heights. Leigh's movie was a box office